The Collaborative International Dictionary
Mother-in-law \Moth"er-in-law`\, n. The mother of one's husband or wife.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
Wiktionary
n. 1 One’s spouse’s mother. 2 A mother-in-law apartment. 3 (context dated English) A stepmother.
WordNet
n. the mother of your spouse
[also: mothers-in-law (pl)]
Wikipedia
"Mother-in-Law" is a 1961 song recorded by Ernie K-Doe. It was a number-one hit in the U.S. on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts. The song was written and produced by Allen Toussaint, who also played the piano solo. It was issued by Minit Records.
After several unsuccessful takes, Toussaint balled up the composition and threw it away as he was leaving the room. One of the back-up singers, Willie Hopper, thought that it was such a good song that he convinced Ernie K-Doe to give it one more try.
The mother-in-law sandwich is a fast food dish of Chicago, consisting of a tamale topped with chili, served in a hot dog bun. The mother-in-law is made with Chicago's unique style of tamale, a machine-extruded cornmeal roll wrapped in paper instead of corn husks, which is typically cooked in a hot-dog steamer.
Usage examples of "mother-in-law".
After a visit of four hours I bowed myself out, and the advocate, following me, told me that his mother-in-law begged me to consider myself as a friend of the family, and to be certain of a welcome at any hour I liked to call.
Her powerful mother-in-law and Lord Bute expected her to do as she was told.
She had made a rule to be most precise in fulfilling her wifely duties, and rarely went out unless accompanied by her husband or her mother-in-law.
The advocate had told me that he was going to Rome on some ecclesiastical business, and that he intended to reside in the house of his mother-in-law, whom his wife had not seen since her marriage, two years ago, and her sister hoped to remain in Rome, where she expected to marry a clerk at the Spirito Santo Bank.
I left Montpellier feeling certain that my visit had increased the esteem in which her husband and her mother-in-law held her, and I congratulated myself on my ability to be happy without committing any sins.
I asked after the marquis, his mother-in-law, and Anastasia, saying that I was delighted to hear from the marchioness from whom I had been expecting an answer for the last month.
Her husband, always fond of a joke, told her that I was in love with her, and his mother-in-law advised him not to show so much intrepidity.
Chuck and I knew we had created a monster and felt real good about it, but Chuck pointed out that it was sort of like watching your mother-in-law drive your new Cadillac off a cliff, because we knew that Jo would not go fuck herself but would go talk to the Fish, who would go talk to the Leggo, who would get us back but good, since the essence of any hierarchy is retaliation.
The betrothal had been, so to speak, an outdoor idyll, but the cold season and married life make of Masha a stay-at-home, without a responsibility of her own, since the household runs like a clock under the strict supervision of her mother-in-law.
No one spoke as we viewed the envelope holding five maples, eight taxus, six evergreens, two ash, four locust, 109 living rose hedge plants, two flowering mother-in-law tongues, and a grove of fifteen assorted, colorful fruit trees.
The future mother-in-law was seated opposite, and to do me honour she filled a glass and offered it to me.
Leonilda and Lucrezia wept with joy when the good marquis gave me the five thousand ducats in bank notes, and presented his mother-in-law with an equal sum in witness of his gratitude to her for having introduced me to him.
Mother-in-law, let it be public knowledge to the effect that my mine will lie there and rot, which it is doing now admittedly, before I sell it to Rosier or any of his kin.
Uncle of my wild oats, sown and unsown, mother-in-law of my exile, and second cousin of my throbbing green-isled imagination!
Bedloe would intervene, as had her mother-in-law when Augustin Bedloe had grown too fond of his pet, Pleasants.